- DAWN - RSS Feeds; January 14, 2008

January 14, 2008

Monday

Muharram 04, 1429

Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)

Nine dead in Karachi bomb blast: police KARACHI, Jan 14, 2008 (AFP)At least nine people were killed and 35 wounded Monday when a bomb fixed to a motorcycle exploded in Karachi as Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf visited the southern city, police said.The blast ripped through a crowd outside a clothes factory in the city of 12 million people, causing further chaos in the run-up to crucial elections delayed by the assassination of former premier Benazir Bhutto. Bhutto's widower, Asif Ali Zardari, flew in to the city minutes before the bomb went off, although officials said both he and Musharraf were far away from the scene of the blast. The bomb was planted on a motorbike and exploded outside a textile factory in the Landhi district of Karachi. At least nine people are dead and about 35 wounded,” senior police official Mohammed Javed told AFP. Seemi Jamali, who runs the main Jinnah hospital's casualty department, said there were two teenage boys among the dead and there were 44 people injured. I was leaving the factory when I heard a huge explosion and I saw several people lying in pools of blood on the road. There were more than 30 people who were hit by the blast,” eyewitness Rehman Malik told AFP.(Posted @ 20:34 PST, Updated @ 22:34 PST)

India invites proposals for $2.5 billion artillery contract NEW DELHI, Jan 14 (AFP): India on Monday said it had invited proposals from global weapons manufacturers for the purchase of 140 medium-calibre artillery guns worth 2.5 billion dollars. “The RFP (request for proposals) for the procurement of 140 ultra-light howitzer guns has been issued,” Indian army chief Deepak Kapoor told reporters on the sidelines of a military function. “The army will issue global tenders shortly for procurement of 155-millimetre (six-inch) howitzers,” he said and added a separate bid for 155 “advanced guns” or heavy weaponry would be also floated in “a month or so”.(Posted @ 21:56 PST)

Seven dead, 20 hurt in Karachi bomb blast: police KARACHI, Jan 14 (AFP): At least seven people were killed and 20 wounded on Monday when a bomb fixed to a motorcycle exploded in Karachi as President Pervez Musharraf visited the city, police said. The blast ripped through a crowd in Quaidababad in Landhi,a busy commercial area of the city. “The bomb was planted on a motorbike and exploded outside a textile factory. At least seven people are dead and about 20 wounded,” a senior police official told AFP. An AFP reporter counted five bodies at one hospital. “I was leaving the factory when I heard a huge explosion and saw several people lying in pools of blood on the road. There were more than 30 people hit by the blast,” an eyewitness told AFP. “As soon as the bomb went off the electricity pylon caught fire and the lights went out. There were bodies lying all around and people screaming in the darkness,” he added. Gunfire erupted in the area in the wake of the attack.(Posted @ 20:34 PST, Updated @ 21:43 PST)

15 Muslim men on trial in Serbia BELGRADE, Jan 14 (AP): Fifteen Muslim men from a tense southern region went on trial Monday on terrorism charges. Most were arrested in raids last year in Sandzak region bordering Kosovo. They were charged with terrorism, illegal possession of weapons, alleged links with unidentified foreign terrorist groups and plans to attack police. They were arrested in March and April.(Posted @ 21:23 PST)

Sri Lankan jets bomb rebel artillery, 11 killed in other clashes: military COLOMBO, Jan 14 (AP): Sri Lankan fighter jets bombed and destroyed a Tamil Tiger rebel artillery post Monday while a ground clash in the restive north killed nine rebels and two soldiers, the military said. The air force targeted an artillery position in Vidattalthivu in Mannar district on Monday afternoon, said a military spokesman. Also, soldiers pushed into rebel territory elsewhere in Mannar and captured nine bunkers, killing nine insurgents, he said. Two soldiers also died in the fighting and 15 more were wounded, he said.(Posted @ 21:11 PST)

Seven killed by bomb blast in Karachi: official KARACHI, Jan 14 (AFP): Seven people were killed when a bomb blast ripped through a busy commercial area of Landhi in Karachi on Monday, a senior security official said. “The blast has killed seven people and injured around 20 others,” the security official told AFP on condition of anonymity. An AFP reporter saw five bodies at one of the city's four main hospitals.(Posted @ 20:34 PST, Updated @ 21:04 PST)

4 killed, 12 injured as wagon plunges into deep ditch in Badin BADIN, Jan 14 (APP): At least four persons were killed and 12 others injured when a wagon carrying passengers plunged into a deep ditch near Shajawal, some 80 kilometer from here. A police official of Badin said the ill-fated wagon was heading towards Karachi from Badin when it veered off the road and plunged into a deep ditch after one of its tyres burst.(Posted @ 21:02 PST)

Bomb blast in Karachi, one dead: police KARACHI, Jan 14 (AFP): A bomb exploded in Karachi on Monday as Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf visited the southern city, killing one person and wounding up to 20, police said.“I can confirm that 14 are injured and one is dead in the bomb blast,” a senior police official, told AFP. Another police officer said around 20 people were wounded in the explosion in the crowded commercial area of Landhi. Home Secretary Arif Ahmed Khan confirmed there had been a bomb blast but said he did not have casualty details yet.

Bomb blast in Karachi, 20 injured: police KARACHI, Jan 14 (AFP): A bomb exploded at a busy road junction in Karachi on Monday, injuring around 20 people, police said.“Around 20 people are injured in the bomb blast which occurred at a busy crossing in Landhi district of the city,” police officer Mohammed Javed told AFP. Home secretary Arif Ahmed Khan confirmed there had been a bomb blast but said he did not have casualty details yet.(Posted @ 20:34 PST)

Colombian guerrillas kidnap six tourists BOGOTA, Jan 14 (Reuters): Colombian guerrillas kidnapped six tourists traveling by boat on a remote river a few days after freeing two high-profile hostages in a deal brokered by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, authorities said. The six Colombian tourists were kidnapped on late on Sunday afternoon when rebels from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, known as the FARC, intercepted their boat in Choco province, a jungle region on the Pacific coast, the Navy said.(Posted @ 20:00 PST)

Suicide attack on Kabul luxury hotel kills two KABUL, Jan 14 (Reuters/AFP): A suicide bomb attack on a luxury hotel in the Afghan capital Kabul killed at least two guards on Monday, a police official said. The five-star Serena Hotel in the centre of the city is mainly frequented by rich foreigners. Two attackers threw hand grenades killing two guards to get past the outer security cordon and into the hotel compound where they exploded their vests, the police official said. He said he had no further information on casualties. Another police official close to the scene also said the blast had happened inside the hotel compound. A Western security source said guards had opened fire on the attackers outside the hotel. A Taliban spokesman says a suicide bomber and three militants with grenades and guns attacked the Serena Hotel in central Kabul.(Posted @ 19:21 PST, Updated @ 19:45 PST)

Bangladesh textile workers clash with police, 30 hurt DHAKA, Jan 14 (Reuters): Textile workers demanding higher wages clashed with police in the Bangladeshi capital Monday, and at least 30 people were injured, police and witnesses said. The injured include five policemen who were hit by stones thrown by the workers after police used batons and fired teargas shells to disperse them.(Posted @ 19:40 PST)

Explosion at Kabul's luxury hotel, casualties unknown KABUL, Jan 13 (AP): An explosion that reverberated throughout Kabul went off inside the city's centrally located luxury hotel, Serena Hotel that is frequented by foreigners, police said Monday. It was not clear if the explosion went off inside the hotel or in its large courtyard where the parking lot is located. Police kept journalists and onlookers a far distance from the building.(Posted @ 19:21 PST)

India's Andaman islands hit by 6.0 quake SINGAPORE, Jan 14 (Reuters): A magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck India's remote Andaman islands on Monday, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) said. The quake was centred 47 km from Port Blair, the capital of the Andaman islands, the USGS said on its Web site. The depth was given as 47 km.(Posted @ 19:19 PST)

Bush arrives in Saudi Arabia RIYADH, Jan 14 (AFP): US President George W. Bush arrived in Saudi Arabia on Monday on the latest leg of a regional tour aimed at fostering Middle East peace and isolating Iran. Bush, on his first visit to Saudi Arabia as president, was greeted on arrival by King Abdullah. The president aims to rally support in a visit of less than 48 hours from the regional powerhouse for his campaign to isolate Iran and for his target of an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal by the January 2009, the end of his term in office.(Posted @ 19:18 PST)

US says 60 killed in offensive against Al-Qaeda in Iraq BAGHDAD, Jan 14 (Reuters): U.S. and Iraqi forces have killed 60 militants, seized dozens of weapons caches and detained 193 suspects during the first week of a major offensive against Al-Qaeda in northern Iraq, the U.S. military said. The military said one of the weapons caches had been found in an underground bunker complex with several rooms in Diyala province north of Baghdad. The offensive in four northern provinces is part of a larger countrywide operation targeting Al-Qaeda. At least nine U.S. soldiers have died since the operation was launched on Jan. 8.(Posted @ 19:17 PST)

Security fears as Bilawal Bhutto returns to Oxford OXFORD, Jan 14 (AFP): Security was stepped up as the new term started Monday at Oxford University, where Bilawal Bhutto Zardari returned to his first-year history studies at Christ Church College after being named Benazir's long-term successor as Pakistan People's Party head following her assassination in December and looming elections. Scotland Yard has been drafted in to protect the 19-year-old in a top secret operation. Despite this, Christ Church -- founded in 1529 -- was still open to visitors Monday and, as usual, bowler-hatted porters manned its gates rather than police, although there seemed to be more officers than usual patrolling the street outside.(Posted @ 19:04 PST)

Several die, 70,000 displaced in Mozambique floods MAPUTO, Jan 14 (AFP): Several people have died while 70,000 others were displaced by floods in central Mozambique and the situation is expected to worsen till mid-February, the National Institute of Natural Disaster Management (INGC) said Monday. “The floods claimed several lives, according to an official toll,” INGC's deputy director Joao Ribeiro told AFP. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) gave a death toll of 50, a figure Ribeiro said was overestimated.(Posted @ 18:30 PST)

India and China pledge new era of cooperation BEIJING, Jan 14 (AFP): China and India pledged Monday to strengthen trade and military links and seek a solution to a border row, as India's prime minister sought to cement a rapid improvement in ties with a landmark visit. Singh and his host, Premier Wen Jiabao, signed a broad agreement that they said would push their relationship to a new level of cooperation. The pact lifts the target for bilateral trade -- which soared to $38.7 billion last year -- to $60 billion by 2010, and pledges a renewed effort to solve a Himalayan border dispute.(Posted @ 10:05 PST, Updated @ 18:28 PST)

Japan meets President Rajapakse in Sri Lanka peace bid COLOMBO, Jan 14 (AFP): A Japanese envoy held talks with Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapakse Monday as the world community stepped up pressure over Colombo's decision to abandon a truce with the Tamil Tiger rebels. Yasushi Akashi met with President Rajapakse and foreign minister Rohitha Bogollagama, officials said, but declined to give details of the discussion.(Posted @ 18:18 PST)

Spain dissolves parliament, calls March 9 elections MADRID, Jan 14 (AFP): Spain's Socialist government dissolved parliament Monday and formally called a general election for March 9, Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero said.(Posted @ 18:17 PST)

Seven police killed in Iraq house blast BAGHDAD, Jan 14 (Reuters): Seven Iraqi policemen were killed when a house apparently rigged with explosives blew up north of Baghdad on Monday, police said. The police had entered the house to conduct a search, police said. The blast took place in the town of Buhriz in volatile Diyala province, where U.S. and Iraqi forces have launched a new offensive against al Qaeda militants. Six U.S. soldiers were killed in Diyala last Wednesday when the house they were searching blew up.(Posted @ 18:17 PST)

Three policemen killed in clash in northern Afghanistan, three Taliban killed in south KABUL, Jan 13 (AP): Clashes between policemen and insurgents left three officers and three suspected Taliban militants dead, officials said Monday. A murder suspect and six of his friends fought with a group of policemen who tried to arrest him Monday in Nahrin district of northern Baghlan province, said the provincial director of criminal investigations. Three police officers were killed in the clash, he said. Separately, police clashed with Taliban fighters in southern Uruzgan province Sunday, leaving three militants dead and one officer wounded, said the provincial police chief.(Posted @ 18:16 PST)

Britain to fingerprint all visitors requiring visas LONDON, Jan 14 (AP): All visitors to Britain requiring visas will have to be fingerprinted starting Monday, the government said. Immigration Minister Liam Byrne said those applying for a British visa from any of 133 countries would now have their fingerprints checked against a database. Byrne said the system, which the government has gradually been introducing around the world since September 2006, had already captured biometric information from more than one million people.(Posted @ 18:16 PST)

U.S. to boost aid to Jordan in 2008 by 48 percent AMMAN, Jan 14 (Reuters): Washington will raise substantially its aid to Jordan, a staunch Middle East ally, in 2008 to support the kingdom's economic and political stability, U.S. diplomats and officials said Monday. They said the 2008 Consolidated Appropriations Act passed by Congress and signed by President George W. Bush recently provides total grants of $663.5 million -- $363.5 million in economic support and $300 million in foreign military financing. “The economic assistance for fiscal year 2008 represents a 48 percent increase over fiscal year 2007,” the United States Agency for International Development USAID Jordan Mission Director told Reuters.(Posted @ 17:54 PST)

Shabir Shah rejoins APHC alliance after decade SRINAGAR, occupied Kashmir, Jan 14 (Reuters): Shabir Shah, a top Kashmiri leader returned to the The All Parties Hurriyat Conference, Indian occupied Kashmir’s main political alliance Monday, more than a decade after he was suspended for defying a call to boycott the U.S. ambassador to India. The APHC is an umbrella group of Kashmiri political parties seeking right of self determination and freedom for Indian occupied Kashmir. His return came months before elections to the state assembly, “Shabir Shah welcome home,” said Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, chairman of the moderate faction of Hurriyat at a news conference in Srinagar.(Posted @ 17:28 PST)

Kolkata market fire rages for third day KOLKATA, Jan 14 (AFP): Firefighters were still struggling to control a massive blaze in the country's largest wholesale market on Monday. At least 4,000 shops have been destroyed in the fire that erupted early Saturday in Kolkata city's sprawling Borro Bazaar market. Shop-owners attacked journalists and television crews on Monday for reporting that firefighters were facing problems in battling the blaze because of a web of illegal stalls that restricted movement. More than a dozen firemen have been injured and the fire has destroyed property worth 50 million dollars in the 18th-century market, officials said.(Posted @ 17:16 PST)

Egypt finds tunnel, explosives near Gaza border ISMAILIA, Jan 14 (Reuters): Egyptian security forces have found a smuggling tunnel linking Egypt with the Gaza Strip and containing explosives, security sources said on Monday. The sources said the tunnel, north of the Rafah crossing, contained four artillery shells and 20 bombs, as well as electrical circuits. No arrests were made in connection with the discovery, and police cordoned off the tunnel and prepared to seal it, the sources said.(Posted @ 17:09 PST)

Gunmen kill judge in Baghdad BAGHDAD, Jan 14 (Reuters): Gunmen killed a senior Iraqi judge as he drove to work through western Baghdad on Monday, police said. Appeals court judge Amir Jawdat al-Naeib, who was also a member of Iraq's Supreme Judicial Council, died when gunmen opened fire on his car soon after he left his home in the capital's Mansour district. Naeib's driver was also killed.(Posted @ 17:08 PST)

Seven troops, 23 militants killed in Pakistan clash: military PESHAWAR, Jan 14 (AFP): At least seven Pakistani troops and 23 Islamic militants were killed in a major battle Monday near the Afghan border. Local Taliban commander Faqir Hussain was among the rebels killed in the battle, which erupted when gunmen ambushed a paramilitary convoy in Mohmand district of the troubled tribal belt, the army said. “The militants attacked a security forces convoy and the forces responded with the help of local people, killing 23 of the attackers,” military spokesman Major General Waheed Arshad said. It was the first significant attack in Mohmand, which is adjacent to Bajaur district. The paramilitary convoy was travelling from a frontier corps camp to the district centre when it was ambushed, triggering a battle that raged for several hours with both sides using heavy weapons.(Posted @ 16:48 PST Updated @ 17:03 PST)

Eight hurt in Nepal bombing: police KATHMANDU, Jan 14 (AFP): A bomb attack in Nepal's capital Monday wounded eight people with the blast apparently timed to coincide with a rally marking the start of campaigning for crucial elections, police said. “Eight people were injured when a bomb was thrown into a bus with around 30 passengers,” a senior police officer told AFP. Three people were arrested shortly after the explosion in a busy market street in the old quarter of Kathmandu, the police officer added.(Posted @ 17:02 PST)

France offers Saudi Arabia nuclear help RIYADH, Jan 14 (Reuters): French President Nicolas Sarkozy has offered Saudi Arabia help in developing peaceful nuclear energy at the start of a Gulf tour he hopes will secure billions of dollars in contracts for French firms. After Saudi Arabia, Sarkozy was to go to Qatar and then on to the United Arab Emirates where he will sign a nuclear cooperation agreement on Tuesday.(Posted @ 17:00 PST)

Gold price strikes record high above 900 dollars LONDON, Jan 14 (AFP): The price of gold struck an all-time record of 909.33 dollars per ounce on Monday as the precious metal drew support from the weak US currency, traders said. After striking the fresh peak, gold eased slightly to stand at 909.07 dollars on the London Bullion Market. “Reaction to the dollar weakness this morning has propelled gold through the 900 dollars per ounce level,” said TheBullionDesk.com analyst James Moore on Monday.(Posted @ 16:52 PST)

British Council defies Russian govt ban SAINT PETERSBURG, Jan 14 (AFP): Britain's overseas cultural arm, the British Council, reopened two regional offices on Monday in defiance of a Russian ban, fuelling new tensions between the two countries. In response to the decision to keep open the branches in Saint Petersburg and Yekaterinburg, Russia's Foreign Ministry summoned the British ambassador, Interfax news agency reported.(Posted @ 16:51 PST)

Bustling Dubai becomes ghost town on Bush visit DUBAI, Jan 14 (AFP): The usually bustling Gulf emirate of Dubai ground to a halt Monday as blanket security measures were imposed for US President George W. Bush's visit, the first by an American head of state. Renowned for its normally frantic pace of life, the booming city-state could hardly have presented a more stark contrast as Bush arrrived as part of his regional tour.The government of the emirate announced that Monday will be a holiday in Dubai due to the planned closure of a number of major bridges, tunnels and main roads.(Posted @ 16:50 PST)

Russian forces kill rebels in Caucasus town: reports MOSCOW, Jan 14 (AFP): Russian special forces on Monday killed several rebels holed up in an apartment in the North Caucasus province of Dagestan, Russian media said. State television showed footage of an apartment building in flames after coming under heavy fire from Russian forces in the city of Makhachkala. “The special forces have already found the bodies of three fighters. The rubble is being searched now,” Interfax said quoting a police source.(Posted @ 16:50 PST)

Six British detectives leave Pakistan: official ISLAMABAD, Jan 14 (AFP): Six British detectives left Pakistan Monday for London with evidence collected from their investigation into the assassination of opposition leader Benazir Bhutto, said a senior interior ministry official. He said four other members of the Scotland Yard team would stay and were helping police investigate the murder. “Scotland Yard investigators will keep shuttling between Pakistan and Britain until the probe is completed,” the official told AFP. A senior police source said the remaining four were likely to leave Pakistan later this week. During their stay in Pakistan the British team reconstructed the crime scene, examined the suspected remains of the bomber and recorded statements from witnesses, police and doctors who tried to revive Bhutto after the attack. They are also understood to have spent considerable time examining the car in which Bhutto was standing at the time of the attack.(Posted @ 16:49 PST)

China warns US over Taiwan president's US stopover BEIJING, Jan 14 (AFP): Beijing chided Washington Monday for allowing Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian to make a travel stopover in the United States, calling him a “destroyer of peace”.“Chen Shui-bian is a destroyer of peace and stability in the Taiwan Straits and a troublemaker in Sino-US relations,” foreign ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said in a statement on the ministry's website.(Posted @ 16:38 PST)

Seven troops, 23 militants killed in Pakistan clash: military ISLAMABAD, Jan 14 (AFP): At least seven Pakistani troops and 23 militants were killed Monday in fighting in a remote tribal area near the Afghan border, the military said. The clash in Mohmand tribal district erupted when militants attacked a paramilitary convoy, chief military spokesman Major General Waheed Arshad told AFP. “The militants attacked a security forces convoy and the forces responded with the help of local people, killing 23 of the attackers,” he said. The battle took place in a district that has seen none of the militant violence plaguing other parts of the tribal belt bordering Afghanistan.(Posted @ 16:48 PST)

Top US Pacific commander begins talks in China BEIJING, Jan 14 (AFP) The top commander of the US Pacific Fleet met Monday with senior Chinese military brass and diplomats, officials said. Timothy Keating, commander-in-chief of the US Pacific Command, met with China's Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi in the morning before heading off to talks at the nation's defence ministry, a US embassy spokeswoman said. She offered no details on the meetings, but China's foreign ministry said the talks focused on Taiwan, with Yang urging the US to do more to help maintain peace and stability in the Taiwan strait. (Posted @ 14:05 PST)

Russia summons British ambassador over row MOSCOW, Jan 14 (Reuters) Russia's foreign ministry summoned Britain's ambassador on Monday to discuss a dispute over the status of the British government's cultural arm, Interfax news agency reported. “A decision has been taken to summon the British ambassador to the Russian foreign ministry,” the agency quoted an unnamed source in Russia's foreign ministry as saying.(Posted @ 14:00 PST)

Iraqi appeals court judge, driver, killed in ambush by gunmen in Baghdad BAGHDAD, Jan 14 (AP) Gunmen killed an appeals court judge in the western Baghdad district of Mansour Monday, police and Deputy Justice Minister Busho Ibrahim said. Amir Jawdat al-Naeib, a high-ranking judge at the appeals court and a member of the Supreme Judicial Council, was ambushed by gunmen in two cars as he was being driven to work from his home in Mansour. His driver was also killed. (Posted @ 13:15 PST)

Pakistan People’s Party says it may work with Musharraf after poll ISLAMABAD, Jan 14 (AP) Benazir Bhutto's Pakistan People’s Party said Monday it may work with Pervez Musharraf after elections next month. ''Our first priority is holding free and fair elections,'' said party spokesman Farhatullah Babar. ''All other things, working with Musharraf or not working with Musharraf, these are bridges which we will cross when they come. All options are open.'' (Posted @ 13:10 PST)

Grenade attack wounds 17 in India's northeast GUWAHATI, India, Jan 14 (AFP) At least 17 people were injured when suspected militants lobbed a grenade at a crowded area in northeastern India, police said. “A man threw a grenade near a police station in Guwahati injuring 17 people, including a paramilitary soldier,” senior police official G.P Singh told AFP late Sunday. Police suspect the attack was carried out by rebels from the outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA), which is fighting for an independent homeland in northeastern Assam state. “The ULFA is behind the attack,” Assam's health minister, Himanta Biswa Sarma, told AFP. (Posted @ 12:15 PST)

One killed as bombs target Thai politicians BANGKOK, Jan 14 (AFP) A policeman died when a bomb he was carrying exploded late Sunday in northeast Thailand’s Nakhon Rachasima town near a house rented by Suporn Atthawong, a politician loyal to the ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra, police said Monday. In nearby Buriram province also on Sunday night, a bomb was thrown into a building owned by a member of Puea Pandin party, which won a handful of seats in the December 23 elections. “The bomb injured no one and caused slight damage,” said Police Colonel Tanawut Tuamsomboon. (Posted @ 12:15 PST)

Five dead in Russian apartment blast MOSCOW, Jan 14 (Reuters) A gas explosion killed five people at an apartment block in southern Russia Monday, a regional emergency services spokeswoman said. Rescuers said four apartments in Zheleznovodsk, a spa resort 1,500 km south of Moscow at the foot of the Caucasus Mountains, were destroyed in the blast, news agency TASS reported. (Posted @ 11:35 PST)

Ten killed in enclave border clashes in Somalia BOSASSO, Somalia, Jan 14 (Reuters) Ten people were killed in fighting between Somaliland and Puntland troops in northern Somalia over the weekend, a Puntland government official said. The breakaway Somali republic of Somaliland has clashed for years over its border with the neighbouring semi-autonomous Puntland region, which is aligned with Somalia's transitional federal government. “At least ten people died from our side,” said Bile Mohamud Qabowsade, Puntland's presidential spokesman in a press conference held on Sunday. (Posted @ 11:25 PST)

Roadside bomb attack on van kills two soldiers, one civilian in northern Sri Lanka COLOMBO, Jan 14 (AP) A roadside bomb attack Monday on a van filled with explosives in northern Sri Lanka killed two soldiers and one civilian, the military said. The van was attacked along a road in the Vavuniya region, military spokesman Brig. Udaya Nanayakkara said. The passengers, civilian workers with a military escort, were returning from an army base after collecting explosives for use in civilian metal mining, he said. The civilian driver and two soldiers were killed and four other soldiers were injured, he said. (First Posted @ 10:15 PST; Updated @ 11:00 PST)

Sarkozy begins Gulf tour in Saudi Arabia RIYADH, Jan 14 (AFP) French President Nicolas Sarkozy described Saudi Arabia's role as “essential” for regional peace Sunday, at the start of a three-nation Gulf Arab tour partly aimed to share France's nuclear expertise. “Saudi Arabia is an essential element for peace in this turbulent region of the world,” he told a press conference in Riyadh, after having signed a series of cooperation agreements with the government here. “The interest of this trip is political, economic, cultural and military,”Sarkozy told reporters. Delegations from the two countries signed four political and energy cooperation agreements, and outlined infrastructure and military contracts worth nearly 40 billion euros, a French official said. Sarkozy also proposed sending a team from the French Atomic Energy Commission to Saudi Arabia in the coming weeks “to work on the question of civilian nuclear (energy)”, the French presidency said. (Posted @ 10:30 PST)

Roadside bomb hits bus in northern Sri Lanka COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, Jan 14 (AP) A roadside bomb hit a vehicle Monday as it travelled near the Vavuniya area of northern Sri Lanka, military spokesman Brig. Udaya Nanayakkara said. Witnesses said the blast hit a civilian bus and many casualties were being brought to a local hospital. (Posted @ 10:15 PST)

India's PM urges China to address trade imbalance BEIJING, Jan 14 (AFP) Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, on a rare visit to China, called Monday on Beijing to expand market access for his nation's goods to reduce a growing trade imbalance between the two emerging giants. Singh also told an investment seminar in Beijing that Indian companies had to be more vigorous in pursuing opportunities in order to help reduce the trade deficit with China. “The challenge before us is to diversify our export basket to China,” Singh said in a speech before talks scheduled later in the day with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao. Singh's three-day visit here, accompanied by Commerce Minister Kamal Nath, is the first by an Indian prime minister to China in five years. (Posted @ 10:05 PST)

Dutch troops in Afghanistan kill four in friendly fire BAGRAM, Afghanistan, Jan 14 (AP) Dutch troops in Afghanistan killed two of their own men during a nighttime battle, and separately killed two allied Afghan soldiers they mistook for enemies, the Defence Ministry said. ''Darkness, the weather conditions and the confused situation'' played a role in the mistake Saturday in Uruzgan province, Gen. Dick Berlijn, the top Dutch military commander, said in a statement Sunday. (Posted @ 10:00 PST)

Pakistan poll indicates many believe government had role in Benazir’s death ISLAMABAD, Jan 14 (AP) In the results of an opinion poll asking who ''killed'' Bhutto, released over the weekend, 23 percent of respondents said they suspected government agencies in the slaying, while 25 percent believed government-allied politicians were behind it. Only 17 percent said they suspected al-Qaeda or Taliban operatives. The poll by Gallup Pakistan, which is affiliated with the Gallup International polling group, questioned 1,300 men and women in face-to-face interviews across Pakistan soon after Benazir's slaying. It had a margin of error of 5 percentage points. Information Minister Nisar Memon questioned the survey's findings. ''I don't think this is representative of the thought process of the people of Pakistan, and neither does it reflect the realities,'' he said. ''It is very clear that people know that it is the terrorists who are responsible.'' (Posted @ 09:50 PST)

Blast in southern Thailand kills eight soldiers BANGKOK, Jan 14 (AP) Insurgents killed eight soldiers Monday in a bombing and shooting attack in southern Thailand's Narathiwat province, the army spokesman said. The soldiers were on a routine morning patrol in the province’s Chanae district when a bomb hidden on the road exploded as their vehicle passed, said the spokesman, Col. Akara Thiprote. After the blast, suspected insurgents attacked the vehicle with a barrage of gunfire, leaving no survivors, he said. (Posted @ 09:40 PST)

Landmine wounds four Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan OTTAWA, Jan 14 (AFP) Four Canadian soldiers were wounded Sunday when a landmine exploded during a mine removal operation on a road in Zangabad near Kandahar in southern Afghanistan, Canadian media reported, citing military officials. None of the soldiers were seriously hurt. (Posted @ 09:30 PST)

Explosives hamper rescue as China landslide buries 11 BEIJNG, Jan 14 (Reuters) A landslide at a quarry in north China buried 11 people, with explosives believed trapped in the rubble, hampering rescue work, Xinhua news agency said. The accident happened Sunday at a quarry in Jixian county of Tianjin Municipality and those trapped were believed to be buried deep under the rocks, Xinhua said. On the same day, a minibus in northern Liaoning province fell into a frozen river, killing seven people. (Posted @ 09:28 PST)

Three Palestinians killed in Israeli air strike on Gaza GAZA CITY, Jan 14 (AFP) Three Palestinian militants, including a group’s local head, were killed in an Israeli air strike on a refugee camp of Gaza City late Sunday, medics and security sources said. They said an air-to-ground missile struck their car in Shati camp, killing Nidal al-Amudi, a head of Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades. Maher al-Mabhuh, belonging to another group, was also killed along with a third militant who died of his injuries. An Israeli military spokesman confirmed the raid. (Posted @ 09:20 PST)

Three dead, three missing in northern Italy avalanche ROME, Jan 14 (Reuters) An avalanche in northern Italy killed at least three people and injured six, while another three are still missing, state television said Sunday. The group of 12 was hit by the avalanche on Mount Maniva, near the city of Brescia, as they were riding on snowmobiles, the fire brigade said. Rescuers dug the six injured people out of the snow, and were still looking for those missing. (Posted @ 09:15 PST)

Cricket- New Zealand beat Bangladesh by innings and 137 runs WELLINGTON, Jan 14 (Reuters) New Zealand beat Bangladesh by an innings and 137 runs to win the second test at the Basin Reserve early on the third day on Monday. Scores: Bangladesh 143 (Chris Martin 5-65) and 113; New Zealand 393 (Daniel Vettori 94, Stephen Fleming 87). (Posted @ 09:15 PST)

Tax THE withholding income tax is 3.5 per cent on supplies of goods. This is a tax which the buyer deducts from the supplier at the time of payment and deposit the same in the treasury.

This tax is also deductible on supplies of essential daily food items, where ratio of profit is very low, even below 3.5 per cent. I would, therefore, suggest that the withholding tax on essential daily food items such as wheat, rice and sugar be reduced to one per cent.

AFTAB KHALILI
Karachi

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